CEO Strategic Leadership Series
Energy Sector
Canada and the United States are entering a period of carbon-pricing divergence that will create competitive imbalances across industries. Canada has a national carbon price rising to $170 per tonne by 2030. The US has no federal price, patchwork state policies, and incentive-heavy decarbonization.
This divergence creates four major strategic risks:
- Cost asymmetry between Canadian and US industrial producers.
- Cross-border leakage as companies shift production toward lower-carbon-cost jurisdictions.
- Complex export compliance for firms selling into Europe and Asia under CBAM-style rules.
- Investor scrutiny on companies with inconsistent emissions-reduction strategies.
For Canadian firms, the risk is cost disadvantage. For US firms, the risk is future misalignment with global policy.
The next decade will see regulatory arbitrage become a strategic variable in site selection, supply chain design, and M&A decisions. Companies must build flexible compliance models that account for evolving policy pathways, price volatility, and cross-border penalties.
CEOs who anticipate carbon-price divergence will be able to capture competitive advantage while others scramble to retrofit strategies after shocks.
How Arcus Can Help
Arcus models carbon-price impact curves, evaluates cross-border competitiveness scenarios, and designs climate-aligned industrial strategies.
Next step: Engage Arcus for a Carbon Policy Divergence Scenario Plan customized for your North American footprint.
Arcus offers clients a unique combination of fact-based industry knowledge and superior functional expertise. Our consultants have an average of over 22 years experience, twice the industry average. Find out more about our growth, change management and operations services.
At Arcus we believe that a strategy is only as good as the results it delivers. Strategic outcomes are most predictable and effective when companies develop a portfolio of initiatives that are aligned with core competencies and aligned activities enable the company to offer a superior value proposition.
Please contact Arcus for case studies and to discuss how we can help you.
Service coverage
The variety, breadth, and depth of the projects where Arcus can be a resource are made unique by each client’s specific needs. By providing a very small sample of projects we’ve completed, we can help you understand how and when to use our services. Visit the links below to find out more about a specific problem or opportunity you would like to address.
Below is a sample of the range of services that Arcus has provided to clients.
- A survey of 2,350 consumers and 1,320 business leaders for feedback on sustainability trends
- Architecting a multi-year change strategy for a Fortune 500 company
- Mentoring a CEO on organizational change
- Excellence transformation of a leading B2B services company
- Creating a new sales deployment model for a healthcare company
- Developing a position evaluation and compensation model for a professional medical association
- Improving services to customer segments by deepening their understanding of customer attitudes
“Arcus manages to consistently deliver tangible results on market research and strategy projects. They combine deep business expertise, powerful research capabilities, and innovative thinking to deliver substantial value.”
– Vice President, Nikon
Data Dashboards
- Empower your decision-making with comprehensive, trusted data.
- Gain actionable insights with access to real-time Canadian consumer, business and sector spending and location data.
- Inform economic policy, investments, sales deployment and strategic plans by looking at trends across different industries and regions in Canada.
- Influence your businesses’ future growth plans by understanding consumer behaviour
Media Coverage
Arcus has been quoted extensively in media on a range of topics and can offer research studies, insights and ideas. Here are some examples from the Globe and Mail, BNN, CTV, Global TV and others.
- Federal budget – Canada’s GDP and Canadian businesses – BNN
- Economies are on different tracks: USMCA renegotiations – BNN
- Klarna on the evolution of digital payment tech – BNN
- Canada’s retail sector round up – BNN
- Buy now, pay later will become a $950M industry in Canada – BNN
- Nordstrom countdown to opening begins – Toronto Star
- No lineups outside stores in five years – BNN
- Black Friday retail, marketing, and cross-border shopping trends – BNN
- Does global expansion need a local flavour? – Globe and Mail
- Art of the Pitch – Protect company’s interests when approaching giants – Globe and Mail
- Off-the-shelf technology or a custom design? – Globe and Mail